Each day, 4,900 people die from tuberculosis (TB)—which is more than three people every minute—while an estimated 41 percent of people who fall sick with the disease are left undiagnosed and untreated. It is one of the top ten causes of death worldwide and was more deadly than HIV in 2015.

The duty of treating the wounded and sick, and the correlating protection of medical personnel and facilities, has been at the core of international humanitarian law (IHL) since its inception in 1864. This was further enshrined in the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Two Additional Protocols of 1977. The protection of medical services in war zones is also part of International Humanitarian Customary Rules and is reflected in the domestic law and military code of all countries around the world.

Context

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa deeply impacted public opinion at an international level. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) received massive financial support from thousands of donors all over the world. In 2014 alone, 70 million euros (approximately $93 million) were received through private donations, and 15 million (approximately $20 million) through public funds.

Executive Summary

On International Women’s Day 2014, as on every day, thousands of women will be forced to flee their homes. They will join the 45 million other people worldwide who are displaced, whether due to conflict, persecution, or natural disasters. More than half of all those displaced are women and children.